Newspaper Publisher Marcus O'Bannion uses his contacts to help victims of abuse. When a teenage girl in need of his help asks him to meet her in an alley, he immediately contacts Detective Scarlett Bishop and asks her to meet both of them. But when Scarlett arrives, the girl has been shot and an injured Marcus has recorded the whole thing. After tracking the identity of the victim, Scarlett and Marcus believe they are dealing with a human trafficking ring. As the two of them follow the evidence, someone takes a shot at Marcus. It's clear that they want Marcus dead too.
I usually love Karen Rose's books, but this one was a disappointment. Clocking in at 722 pages, it could have easily been edited down to 400. The first 300+ pages just dragged. I had to keep laying the book down. Thankfully, the pace picked up near the middle of the book and the story became more interesting.
We get the points-of-view of both Scarlett and Marcus, along with a group of villains. Scarlett and Marcus met in the previous book that took place nine months ago. They were both hung up on each other, but neither of them did anything about it. Now that Marcus is a witness in a murder case, they finally admit their attraction. I liked both of the main characters, but really didn't buy into their romance. The whole book spans approximately two days. How much romance can you squeeze into a 48-hour murder case? They didn't waste any time and were calling themselves a couple after the first day. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
I usually love Karen Rose's books, but this one was a disappointment. Clocking in at 722 pages, it could have easily been edited down to 400. The first 300+ pages just dragged. I had to keep laying the book down. Thankfully, the pace picked up near the middle of the book and the story became more interesting.
We get the points-of-view of both Scarlett and Marcus, along with a group of villains. Scarlett and Marcus met in the previous book that took place nine months ago. They were both hung up on each other, but neither of them did anything about it. Now that Marcus is a witness in a murder case, they finally admit their attraction. I liked both of the main characters, but really didn't buy into their romance. The whole book spans approximately two days. How much romance can you squeeze into a 48-hour murder case? They didn't waste any time and were calling themselves a couple after the first day. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
Homicide Detective Scarlett Bishop and Marcus O'Bannion, owner of the local newspaper meet again over the dead body of a young girl who had asked for his help.
Even though he is a witness, Marcus somehow wheedles his way into a criminal investigation that leads them straight to a human trafficking ring.
Both of them are fierce champions of victims' right and both are ready to do whatever it takes to find all the people involved and shut them down once and for all.
There is plenty of mystery and suspense, with lots of dead bodies sprinkled throughout the book. The author introduces us to new characters, as well as brings in familiar people we've seen in some of her other books.
Bishop and O'Bannion have the hots for each other ....and feelings have deepened over the past 9 months even though they haven't seen or talked to each other in all that time.
I really like all the characters ... they are mostly believable. For a tall, dark and deadly Former Army Ranger, he's really just a marshmallow who is so tender-hearted he's not afraid to let people see him cry .. and he does that a lot. Scarlet is a fierce soul...who has seen so much for so long, she's having fantasies about what she'd like to do to some of the bad guys. And she's on the edge.....
And when the final showdown comes ... there are surprises ... and more dead bodies.
Even though he is a witness, Marcus somehow wheedles his way into a criminal investigation that leads them straight to a human trafficking ring.
Both of them are fierce champions of victims' right and both are ready to do whatever it takes to find all the people involved and shut them down once and for all.
There is plenty of mystery and suspense, with lots of dead bodies sprinkled throughout the book. The author introduces us to new characters, as well as brings in familiar people we've seen in some of her other books.
Bishop and O'Bannion have the hots for each other ....and feelings have deepened over the past 9 months even though they haven't seen or talked to each other in all that time.
I really like all the characters ... they are mostly believable. For a tall, dark and deadly Former Army Ranger, he's really just a marshmallow who is so tender-hearted he's not afraid to let people see him cry .. and he does that a lot. Scarlet is a fierce soul...who has seen so much for so long, she's having fantasies about what she'd like to do to some of the bad guys. And she's on the edge.....
And when the final showdown comes ... there are surprises ... and more dead bodies.
